Mo. High Court Says Public Bodies Must Bargain in Good Faith

The Missouri Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that when cities, school boards and other public bodies bargain with workers’ unions, they must do so in good faith with the intention of reaching an agreement.

While that may seem like common sense to most of us, two earlier rulings, including one from 1957, said that while such public entities were obligated to recognize the workers’ unions, they did not have to bargain. The two cases involved an AFT Local in St. Louis and a Fraternal Order of Police Lodge, which represents officers in two towns.

Bruce Feldacker, a labor attorney who is an adjunct professor at Saint Louis University School of Law, told St. Louis Public Radio:

Essentially, they're complete victories for the labor side. There's no question that governmental employers have a much clearer duty to bargain in good faith to reach an agreement now than was the status before these two rulings.